About

In early February 2017, Tender Flame Soy Candles started as a coping tool for the owner, to support her early in her recovery from the effects of alcoholism in her life. After years of research and development, we’ve perfected our candle recipes! We continue to grow each day, working to perfect our mission of change. The goal is become a social-mission and recovery-focused organization, help build life & job skill development for those in recovery and bring post-recovery support services to local communities, which will include one-on-one coaching’s, service opportunities, and support groups. The goal is to show we have a need and bring awareness to recovery as the process of overcoming the underlying reasons we turn to poor coping. This will take the support of our Tender Flame community to make this happen. We are in this together.

A note about why the owner got started:

“I started this business shortly after I started my recovery from the affects of alcoholism and trauma in my life. Candle making has allowed me to refocus my hurt, anger and pain into something positive. This journey has been quite challenging but some way, some how, my Higher Power watches out for me, keeping me right on track. I’m truly blessed. I’m very passionate about my recovery… and I want to do what I can to help others with their recovery too. For me, one of the things that I miss most, was the sense of home and warmth that I once had. With these candles, I am able to bring a sense of that to each person who may or even may not have been affected by addiction, mental illness or trauma themselves; a way to remind consumers of those wonderful feelings that often get lost during times of high stress. This business is my way of sharing that with the world.” – Amber T, March 2019

Pictured below is owner, Amber Tatarek, at a WA Recovery Alliance retreat weekend in November 2024.

A little background since starting this business:

After starting this journey of candle making as a tool to help me overcome the effects of alcoholism in my life, I found my own recovery. I got myself help and addressed my trauma. I left my prior field of employment and entered into social services as a way to give back and serve others. During my time in social services, I gained many new skills, trainings, and experiences that qualify me for working with our most marginalized populations and those who are being negatively affected by one’s trauma. Recovery is the process of restoring oneself to a normal state of living after being affected by trauma or the adverse effects of homelessness, addiction, the family disease of alcoholism, mental health issues, being exposed to high levels of stress, childhood experiences, and physical trauma. It requires great effort to overcome these things and candle making is a beautiful way to support that journey. Part of my hope for this business is to help support folks through the process of recovery through the art of candle making and work to create a space for other to enter their own recovery journey by creating a social mission corporation that offers volunteer opportunities, peer support, recovery coaching, life and job skill trainings, and leadership development.

What are the owner’s qualifications:

First and foremost, the owner identifies as a person in long-term recovery from the family disease of alcoholism, domestic violence, childhood sexual abuse, trauma in the workplace, and chronic pain. She is all too familiar with the humbling experience of recovery. She also has a Bachelor’s in Applied Science – Management with a specialization in Marketing & Entrepreneurship, she’s a Certified Crisis Intervention Specialist-II through the National Anger Management Association, a Certified Outreach Worker through the University of Washington, and a credentialed Certified Peer Counselor through the State of Washington Healthcare Authority, a qualified Peer Recovery Coach through Connecticut Community Addiction Recovery (CCAR), a NAADAC (the Association for Addiction Professionals) approved training, and certified in Basic Mediation and Conflict Resolution. By sharing her own Experience, Strength & Hope, she is able to help others in their journey of recovery move from struggling to thriving, and this is just the beginning!

As you may come to learn, the owner is very passionate about her candle making. She believes that vulnerability, service, community and having a positive and productive outlet are the pathway to recovery, and she wants to help others find their own pathways by supporting individuals to find what works for them.

How do the candles fit into this?

After the owner found relief in her own recovery through candle making, she knew others needed a positive and productive outlet as well. Recovery is a hard and often overwhelming process that carries high emotions and minimal tools for handling those emotions. Candle making is a pathway. By pouring her emotions into the candles, the owner found peace in her anger, hurt, and shame. She discovered that by trusting the process, being intentional and practicing mindfulness, she could find peace in the process, and she wants to share that gift with others who are struggling to find peace in their journey.

Now that we’ve covered why we are doing this, let’s cover the technical part of the business. Candles. Our hope is to use this candle business as a pathway to helping us achieve our mission of building a community of recovery, by providing the highest quality product possible. In order to do so, we need to communicate with you how to use your candle and reduce any safety concerns. Here are some tips about safety and care of your candles!

• Always read the warning label! Most of what I’m about to share with you is on the warning label already.
• Never leave a candle burning unattended, near drapes/curtains or other potentially flammable items, and make sure they are on a flat, stable surface.
• Never leave a burning candle unattended near children or pets.
• Trim your wick to 1/4″ before every burn in order to ensure the flame doesn’t get too hot or too tall. If your flame flickers or seems too high, blow the candle out, trim the wick after it has cooled down, and then you can re-light your candle.
• Never burn a candle longer than 4 hours at a time.
• Avoid using candles during power outages if possible; keep in mind it is unsafe to move a lit candle.

It’s important to handle candles with care. Did you know there are more than 8,000 house fires a year are caused by candles alone?!? Don’t be a statistic! Please be sure to practice candle safety every time you burn a candle. Check out these Candle Safety Rules for more information. Feel free to let us know if you have questions!

Be sure to check out our blog, “Part of the Journey”, where the owner shares about her struggles and triumphs in her recovery from the adverse effects of trauma and the family disease of alcoholism. And if you are interested in starting from the beginning, ‘Perspective‘ was the post where she finally began being open and honest about her trauma and the journey of recovery that trauma has taken her on. We do recover, One Day At A Time.

Tender Flame Soy Candles Mission Values: 

Mission Statement:

To provide the highest quality product, bringing a sense of warmth and serenity to the comfort of your home and your hearts, all while giving consumers an opportunity to contribute towards building a supportive community of recovery.